Willy Vlautin is an author and songwriter from Scappoose, Oregon, just up Hwy 30 from the St. John’s Bridge. He’s revered enough to have been recruited to read the works of William Stafford and Ken Kesey in documentaries of their lives and work recently aired on Oregon Public Broadcasting. Still, there are a lot of …
When his band’s newsletter mentioned that Willy Vlautin (Lean on Pete) would be buying rounds of drinks if Vlautin takes home the IMPAC literary award for which he’s been shortlisted, we just took it to mean that there’d be a general cause for celebration. We then clicked the link for a little more info and, …
Willy Vlautin has a lot of fans here in the Northwest, and the upcoming release of the film version of his 2006 novel The Motel Life might just mean a lot more for the Scappoose, Oregon writer/musician/everyman, who took home two Oregon Book Awards last year for Lean on Pete. Europeans are long onto Vlautin. …
“Like Lean on Pete, this novel is named after a racehorse. The passion, ruthlessness, grit and grace of racetrack life are all on display in this thoroughly original and charismatic novel, which was a 2010 National Book Award winner. Each section centers on a different racehorse, while groomers, owners, trainers and other lost souls of …
“Lean on Pete is an unforgettable tale about a 15-year-old boy who becomes homeless after his father dies. Left with nothing, Charley seeks refuge at a Portland horse track until his heart sends him on a journey to find an aunt who may or may not be in Wyoming. Vlautin’s straightforward, spare writing brings everything …
“Book by book, Willy Vlautin is establishing himself as a seasoned literary talent. His characters maintain an aching innocence as they navigate a flawed planet. Lean on Pete appears to be the story of a boy and a horse, yet the story telescopes beyond its simple beginnings into something more.” – Johnny, Third Place Books, Seattle
